Launching a Business Website?

You may think that you know everything you need to know before you launch your business website. The problem is that so does everyone who launches one, and most business websites don’t end up being very successful! You’ll save both time and money by ensuring that you’ve got the correct elements in place before you launch your website. Here’s what you need to consider.

Business needs, You need to take the time to properly assess your business needs. Create a checklist of everything you need this website to do for your business. You shouldn’t be sticking to vague goals when it comes to creating a website; business websites need to serve particular purposes, and if you’re not clear about those needs when you’re designing the website and picking a web host, then you will run into trouble somewhere down the road. For example, if you’re going to build an online store, then your needs will lean specifically towards usability and profit.

Content strategy. It’s best to have a clear content strategy before launching the website. When you know what kind of content you’re going to post, then you’ll know what sort of content management system and upload framework to develop. Once your website is launched, there should be content there ready to be shared and consumed. Ideally, new content will be ready to upload without much delay. Delivering new content consistently is the key here, and it’s a ball you should get rolling as soon as you possibly can.

Smashing bugs. If you’re finding bugs after the website is launched – which is to say, if users are finding those bugs — then you’ve done something wrong. Web development requires rigorous testing; this may seem like an obvious point to some, but not a day goes by where I don’t stumble upon a few websites that quite clearly haven’t been tested for basic functionality. Use a test server or domain to test out a facsimile of your website. Make sure all the links work, which page redirections going where they’re supposed to. Make sure your RSS feed functions. Check that images appear correctly. If there are forms the user can complete, test both valid and invalid information to make sure nothing disastrous happens.

Buzz building. Do you know what your marketing strategy is? It’s best that you don’t launch a website unless you have one, even if you don’t plan on implementing that strategy or making the necessary purchases for a few days. (Sometimes it’s worth seeing just how far a website can go on its own!) But even then, you should make sure a buzz is built before your website launches. This is why you should create social media profiles before the website launches, and try to get some networking done pre-launch.

100 Percent completion. Don’t launch a website that’s still under construction. Your website should be 100 percent completed. There are few things more frustrating to users than click on a link or trying out a particular function only to come across a “COMING SOON” message. And remember: your website isn’t completed until it’s been tested.